Although many countries are currently very active in solving the water crisis, there have already been major improvements with the current situation. Within the past 20 years, over 2.4 billion people have gained access to safe water supplies and 600 million to improved sanitation.
As the availability of usable, sanitary water continues to decrease, countries are putting forward great efforts to help improve this current problem. Countries are offering possible solutions, using the present data and statistics to create the most effective solutions. With the immense impact on the countries as well as the people suffering from this problem, it is expected that $1 trillion will be needed in the next 20 years to ensure a sufficient supply of fresh water for the continual growing population.
There are many solutions for dealing with water shortages. The most cost-effective and common is water conservation but other viable methods do exist. Desalination, reclaimed water usage, and cloud seeding are other water shortage solutions whose viability is currently being debated.
Desalination is the process of removing the salt that makes certain bodies of water undrinkable so that the water can be used for household purposes. Sea water desalination seems like the perfect answer to water shortages, after all, one could argue that we have more ocean than we know what to do with! However, the process of desalination is extremely expensive and building new desalination plants is very time-consuming. Additionally, the process of desalination uses tremendous amounts of energy. Hawaii is already investing in desalination technology. At the cost of $6 million a year after the initial $35 million construction cost, Honolulu will have a desalination facility that should be able to meet the 35 million gallon a day demand that is expected by 2025. In California, a $250 million desalination plant is proposed for Long Beach. The plant would produce as much as 50 million gallons of fresh water daily. However, in order to be cost effective, the plant is budgeting to get their electricity for 30-50% less than the going rate. The plant's water would sell for $800 per acre-foot, which is $300 more than imported water and $650 more than local groundwater.
Recycled water is another viable option in times of water shortages. Recycled water is wastewater that has been treated and had contaminants removed. Though the health aspects of recycled water are controversial, most experts agree that it is safe for everything but drinking. There is a big push to use recycled water for all outdoor landscaping and many golf courses and recreation areas are jumping on the recycled bandwagon. The downside of recycled water for residential use is found in the cost of installation of extra pipes. For residential purposes, a home would have two sets of water pipes; one set each for pure and recycled water. In some areas, such as El Dorado County, the water companies are trying to push mandatory ordinances requiring the use of recycled water to irrigate new structures.
One problem with using recycled water for irrigation purposes is that many times treated wastewater is used to refill lakes, streams, and other bodies of water. Recycling the water means that less will be able to flow to those water bodies, which can have an adverse effect on the wildlife thriving in that area.
Cloud Seeding has also been introduced as a solution to water shortages. In cloud seeding, tiny crystals of silver iodide are sprinkled over clouds to promote moisture circulating in the clouds. Controversies surrounding cloud seeding revolve around the excessive costs and the lack of conclusive evidence that it is truly effective. In the heat of the summer when the dry conditions are felt the hardest, the issue of cloud seeding may be a moot point since you have to have clouds to seed! You can't make rain out of a blue sky!
Another more personal solution that has been invented in recent years is using the humidity in the air to create drinking water. However if this could or would done on a large scale in humid climate, this technology could bring safe clean drinking water to entire villages. The video below is a promotional video for one of these products for home use.
As many countries are underway in developing solutions for the future, there are many solutions currently be used and tested at this moment in time. The reuse of water is a solution currently proving to be beneficial in the Middle East and other regions as there is only a small price to pay for building recycling plants and transporting recycled water to various destinations. This method has also proved to be beneficial to the Middle East because this region uses tens of thousands of gallons of water for agricultural and irrigational purposes and this water can be replaced with reused water which is not harmful in its use, but not clean enough for the people of these regions to drink. Field practice is a solution becoming more and more frequently used by the people of the Middle East as it is a low cost irrigation technique. Field practices are techniques that keep water in the field, allowing for a far more efficient way to distribute water across the fields. Practicing this method would include chiseling compacted soils, preventing runoffs and leveling of the land so water can be distributed more evenly. Other solutions include aquifer protection and recharge, which are also widely practiced in the Middle East. Aquifers are underground beds or layers of earth, gravel or porous rock that hold water. Recharge techniques incorporate the digging of pits and trenches to gather rain water. Pricing of water is a solution that is gradually increasing the availability of this particular resource, as by increasing costs the public will begin to consume it with more caution and in turn increasing the amount available for future use.
Proposed Solutions
Although many countries are currently very active in solving the water crisis, there have already been major improvements with the current situation. Within the past 20 years, over 2.4 billion people have gained access to safe water supplies and 600 million to improved sanitation.
As the availability of usable, sanitary water continues to decrease, countries are putting forward great efforts to help improve this current problem. Countries are offering possible solutions, using the present data and statistics to create the most effective solutions. With the immense impact on the countries as well as the people suffering from this problem, it is expected that $1 trillion will be needed in the next 20 years to ensure a sufficient supply of fresh water for the continual growing population.
There are many solutions for dealing with water shortages. The most cost-effective and common is water conservation but other viable methods do exist. Desalination, reclaimed water usage, and cloud seeding are other water shortage solutions whose viability is currently being debated.
Desalination is the process of removing the salt that makes certain bodies of water undrinkable so that the water can be used for household purposes. Sea water desalination seems like the perfect answer to water shortages, after all, one could argue that we have more ocean than we know what to do with! However, the process of desalination is extremely expensive and building new desalination plants is very time-consuming. Additionally, the process of desalination uses tremendous amounts of energy. Hawaii is already investing in desalination technology. At the cost of $6 million a year after the initial $35 million construction cost, Honolulu will have a desalination facility that should be able to meet the 35 million gallon a day demand that is expected by 2025. In California, a $250 million desalination plant is proposed for Long Beach. The plant would produce as much as 50 million gallons of fresh water daily. However, in order to be cost effective, the plant is budgeting to get their electricity for 30-50% less than the going rate. The plant's water would sell for $800 per acre-foot, which is $300 more than imported water and $650 more than local groundwater.
Recycled water is another viable option in times of water shortages. Recycled water is wastewater that has been treated and had contaminants removed. Though the health aspects of recycled water are controversial, most experts agree that it is safe for everything but drinking. There is a big push to use recycled water for all outdoor landscaping and many golf courses and recreation areas are jumping on the recycled bandwagon. The downside of recycled water for residential use is found in the cost of installation of extra pipes. For residential purposes, a home would have two sets of water pipes; one set each for pure and recycled water. In some areas, such as El Dorado County, the water companies are trying to push mandatory ordinances requiring the use of recycled water to irrigate new structures.
One problem with using recycled water for irrigation purposes is that many times treated wastewater is used to refill lakes, streams, and other bodies of water. Recycling the water means that less will be able to flow to those water bodies, which can have an adverse effect on the wildlife thriving in that area.
Cloud Seeding has also been introduced as a solution to water shortages. In cloud seeding, tiny crystals of silver iodide are sprinkled over clouds to promote moisture circulating in the clouds. Controversies surrounding cloud seeding revolve around the excessive costs and the lack of conclusive evidence that it is truly effective. In the heat of the summer when the dry conditions are felt the hardest, the issue of cloud seeding may be a moot point since you have to have clouds to seed! You can't make rain out of a blue sky!
http://www.cadroughtprep.net/watshort.htm
Another more personal solution that has been invented in recent years is using the humidity in the air to create drinking water. However if this could or would done on a large scale in humid climate, this technology could bring safe clean drinking water to entire villages. The video below is a promotional video for one of these products for home use.
As many countries are underway in developing solutions for the future, there are many solutions currently be used and tested at this moment in time. The reuse of water is a solution currently proving to be beneficial in the Middle East and other regions as there is only a small price to pay for building recycling plants and transporting recycled water to various destinations. This method has also proved to be beneficial to the Middle East because this region uses tens of thousands of gallons of water for agricultural and irrigational purposes and this water can be replaced with reused water which is not harmful in its use, but not clean enough for the people of these regions to drink. Field practice is a solution becoming more and more frequently used by the people of the Middle East as it is a low cost irrigation technique. Field practices are techniques that keep water in the field, allowing for a far more efficient way to distribute water across the fields. Practicing this method would include chiseling compacted soils, preventing runoffs and leveling of the land so water can be distributed more evenly. Other solutions include aquifer protection and recharge, which are also widely practiced in the Middle East. Aquifers are underground beds or layers of earth, gravel or porous rock that hold water. Recharge techniques incorporate the digging of pits and trenches to gather rain water. Pricing of water is a solution that is gradually increasing the availability of this particular resource, as by increasing costs the public will begin to consume it with more caution and in turn increasing the amount available for future use.
AQUIFER
Agriculture: Producing More from Less
http://www.infoforhealth.org/pr/m14/m14chap6_1.shtml
Saving Water in Industry
http://www.infoforhealth.org/pr/m14/m14chap6_2.shtml
Municipal Conservation
http://www.infoforhealth.org/pr/m14/m14chap6_3.shtml
The Need for Better Policies
http://www.infoforhealth.org/pr/m14/m14chap6_4.shtml